An Idaho Statesman poll by SurveyUSA released on November 5 found 68% of Idahoans believe medical cannabis should be legalized in the state. The poll found just 18% believed medical cannabis should remain outlawed with 14% unsure.
The poll found less than half (48%) of respondents backed adult-use legalization in the state with 41% opposed and 10% unsure.
The poll also found a minority of respondents – 11% – believed low-level cannabis possession should be met with jail time, with 43% saying such offenses should lead to a fine, and 42% supporting no penalty at all.
The poll found medical cannabis legalization was supported by 84% of Democrats, 60% of Republicans, and 74% of independents. Adult-use reforms were supported by 35% of Republicans, 74% of Democrats, and 61% of independents.
House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D) told the Statesman that she “wouldn’t have been surprised” if support for medical cannabis legalization wasn’t higher.
A bill introduced in the state Legislature last year to decriminalize cannabis never made it to the floor for a vote. Rubel said the poll indicates that “the Idaho Republican Party and the political elite within it have taken on a life of their own, that does not track the desires of the people of Idaho.”
The poll was conducted from October 17-20 online and by phone and included 550 adults.
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